Seven million cancers could be prevented annually

Some cancers are inevitable - either because of the damage we inevitably accumulate in our DNA as we age or because we inherit genes which put us at greater risk of disease

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Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

James Gallagher, BBC, health

Cancer could be prevented in seven million people every year, global analyses show.

A report by scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 37 percent of cancers are caused by infections, lifestyle choices and environmental pollutants that could be avoided.

This number includes cervical cancer caused by infections. human papillomavirus (HPV), which vaccination can help prevent, as well as a multitude of tumors caused by cigarette smoke.

There is a "powerful opportunity" to change the lives of millions of people, researchers say.

Some cancers are inevitable - either because of the damage we inevitably accumulate in our DNA as we age or because we inherit genes which put us at greater risk of disease.

But the researcher, Dr. Isabel Soerjomataram says people are surprised to hear that nearly four out of 10 forms of cancer can be prevented.

That's a "significant number," he adds.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer at the WHO has analyzed 30 preventable factors known to increase the risk of cancer.

Some of them are smoking and ultraviolet (UV) radiation which can directly damage DNA, then obesity and too little physical activity, which alters inflammation and hormones in the body and increases the risk of cancer.

There is also air pollution, which can awaken dormant cancer cells.

Nine cancer-causing infections were also analyzed.

These are HPV, the hepatitis virus that leads to liver cancer, and stomach bacteria. H. pylori.

The team used data on cancer cases from 2022 and from 30 risk factors a decade earlier in 185 countries to conduct a statistical analysis.

Three main factors have been identified that contribute to more than 18 million cases of cancer worldwide:

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However, the overall figures mask a nuanced picture of cancer risk worldwide.

There is a clear division by gender.

In men, 45 percent of cancer cases can be prevented, compared to 30 percent in women.

This is partly explained by the fact that more men smoke.

In women living in Europe, the three main preventable causes of cancer are: smoking, followed by infections, and then obesity.

In sub-Saharan Africa, infections dominate and account for almost 80 percent of preventable cancers in women.

This means that all measures to combat these forms of cancer would have to be tailored to each region or country.

"This landmark study is a comprehensive assessment of preventable cancers worldwide, which for the first time includes infectious causes of cancer alongside behavioral, environmental and occupational risks."

"Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce cancer rates globally," said Soerjomataram, Deputy Head of IARC's Cancer Surveillance Unit.

Watch the video: Everything you need to know about the HPV vaccine

Report, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showed that lung cancer (linked to smoking and air pollution), stomach cancer (linked to infection H. pylori) and cervical cancer (associated with HPV infection) account for almost half of all preventable cancer cases.

Andre Ilbavi, the leader of the WHO's cancer control team, said the study was "good news" because it showed that something can be done and pointed to the success of countries that have introduced anti-smoking policies or HPV vaccination.

"The percentage of preventable cancers can change over time and our goal is to get it as close to zero as possible," he said.

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